‘Shifting Gears’ Casts Luke Macfarlane as Riley’s Brother, Sam

Brittany Sims December 9, 2025, 5:43 pm

Shifting Gears will finally get to see Riley’s brother/Matt’s son on an upcoming episode. Luke Macfarlane has been cast in the role of Sam. Scroll down to find out more about the mysterious brother.

Shifting Gears ended its first season with a shocking kiss and many questions for fans. The ABC freshman comedy stars Tim Allen as Matt, a widowed father whose daughter, Riley (Kat Dennings), and his grandchildren, Carter (Maxwell Simkins) and Georgia (Barrett Margolis), move in with him after things get rocky with Riley’s estranged husband, Jimmy (Lucas Neff).

During the Season 1 finale, Riley decides to finally divorce Jimmy when he comes home for Georgia’s middle school graduation after announcing plans to tour with the Foo Fighters. Matt fights with his nemesis, Eve (Jenna Elfman), who works next door to him and hits his car with his door. By the end of the episode, the enemies become lovers and share a shocking kiss. To celebrate Riley’s new singledom, her boss Eve throws her a party. Riley drinks a little too much, so Gabriel (Seann William Scott), her childhood best friend and dad’s coworker, takes her home. She wonders aloud why a woman hasn’t married him yet, and he tries to confess his feelings for her, but she falls asleep as he confesses.

This left the show on a cliffhanger with many loose ends not tied up. So, will fans get answers in Season 2?

Here is everything we know about the sitcom’s next season.

ABC

Is Shifting Gears renewed for Season 2?

Shifting Gears will return for Season 2. The renewal comes after the sitcom had a noticeable drop in ratings since its premiere in January. Shifting Gears reached 7.8 million viewers in the Nielsen Live+7 ratings during its premiere episode, while the finale in March dropped to 5.17 million in the same time period. The show’s performance on Hulu has not been updated since January. The show ranked number five among ABC’s scripted series this season.

When will Season 2 premiere?

Shifting Gears Season 2 will premiere on Wednesday, October 1, at 8/7c on ABC. The sitcom is expected to air on Wednesdays for the rest of the season. Season 1 premiered in January with only 10 episodes, but this seems like a full season pickup.

Who will star in Shifting Gears Season 2?

Allen, Dennings, Scott, Simkins, Margolis, Elfman, as well as Daryl Mitchell all starred in Season 1 and are set to return.

As for guest stars, comedian and talk show host Lilly Singh is set to appear in one episode as Riley’s new mom friend, with whom she clicks instantly. Their budding friendship is derailed when their daughters get into a fight.

Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts appeared in one episode as himself.

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On November 11, Variety reported that Jesse Williams has been added to the cast in a recurring role. He will play Andy, a single dad who “has eyes for Riley” after being a frequent customer at her coffee cart. Although it is not clear how many episodes Williams will be in, he is suspected to be in more in one since the outlet indicated a “recurring role.”

Who is Riley’s brother, Sam and when will he appear?

For a season and a half, fans have been hearing about this mysterious Sam, who is Riley’s brother, Matt’s son, and Gabe’s best friend. Deadline confirmed on December 9 that Luke Macfarlane has been cast as Sam, a Navy hero.

Although details about when he will be introduced to the show are scarce, the outlet reports that he will be on “later this season.”

Will there be a Home Improvement reunion?

On August 19, Deadline reported that Allen’s Home Improvement costars —Patricia Richardson, Richard Karn, and Debbe Dunning— all appeared in Season 2. The trio appeared in the season premiere as widows who helped him try not to feel guilty about dating again after his wife died.

Richardson played Jill Taylor, Tim’s wife, on the show for eight seasons. Karn was Albert “Al” Borland, Tim’s friend and assistant on the show-within-a-show, Tool Time, from seasons one to eight. Dunning played Heidi Keppert, the Tool Time girl, from Seasons 3 through 8.

Richardson and Karn also appeared in Allen’s second sitcom, Last Man Standing. Jonathan Taylor Thomas had a recurring role on the show. He was one of three sons on Home Improvement. In Season 1, Nancy Travis, his wife in Last Man Standing, also had a guest role. She will also return as a guest star, according to a press release.

Is there a trailer?

Yes! The new trailer dropped on Wednesday, September 17, just two weeks before the seaosn premiere.

Matt and Riley continue to argue and work together as she navigates life with her two children as a newly divorced woman. The guest stars above, plus Gabriel Iglesias and Shark Tank‘s Lori Greiner, make appearances. “Oh my God! It’s Lori from Shark Tank! My Queen,” Georgia says.